NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over the pendency of rape cases involving children in Uttar Pradesh, the POCSO courts has set March 2020, as the deadline for setting up POCSO courts in every district where the pendency of cases is 300 or more.
The apex court has ordered the UP government to set up one exclusive court for judicial districts which have up to 300 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases pending, two courts in districts with 301 to 600 pending cases, three courts in districts with 601 to 1,000 such cases and four courts in districts with more than 1,000 cases.
In a detailed order passed last week, the bench directed the Uttar Pradesh government to set up POCSO courts which has a pendency of over 44,000 cases. A similar direction was issued to West Bengal. “More than four months have elapsed since orders having been passed by this court. Virtually no effort has been made to set up POCSO courts. The situation is alarming in these two states and if special orders are not passed with regard to these two states, we may reach a situation where the judicial system in relation to POCSO case comes to a grinding halt and if that happens, then the Rule of Law will break down and people will resort to revenge and violence outside the courtrooms,” the bench said.
While observing the Bengal and UP governments are facing an extremely deplorable state of affairs with regard to trials of child rape cases, the court said, “If the Rule of Law breaks down, only anarchy will prevail. We cannot have ‘Kangaroo Courts’ conducting trials of these cases.”